TY - JOUR
T1 - Working Memory Deficits in Poor Comprehenders Reflect Underlying Language Impairments
AU - Nation, Kate
AU - Adams, John W.
AU - Bowyer-Crane, Claudine A.
AU - Snowling, Margaret J.
PY - 1999/6
Y1 - 1999/6
N2 - Three experiments assessed memory skills in good and poor comprehenders, matched for decoding skill. Experiments 1 and 2 investigated phonological and semantic contributions to short-term memory by comparing serial recall for words varying in length, lexicality, and concreteness. Poor comprehenders showed normal sensitivity to phonological manipulations (length and lexicality) but, consistent with their semantic weaknesses, their recall of abstract words was poor. Experiment 3 investigated verbal and spatial working memory. While poor comprehenders achieved normal spatial spans, their verbal spans were impaired. These results are discussed within a theoretical framework in which the memory difficulties associated with poor reading comprehension are specific to the verbal domain and are a concomitant of language impairment, rather than a cause of reading comprehension failure.
AB - Three experiments assessed memory skills in good and poor comprehenders, matched for decoding skill. Experiments 1 and 2 investigated phonological and semantic contributions to short-term memory by comparing serial recall for words varying in length, lexicality, and concreteness. Poor comprehenders showed normal sensitivity to phonological manipulations (length and lexicality) but, consistent with their semantic weaknesses, their recall of abstract words was poor. Experiment 3 investigated verbal and spatial working memory. While poor comprehenders achieved normal spatial spans, their verbal spans were impaired. These results are discussed within a theoretical framework in which the memory difficulties associated with poor reading comprehension are specific to the verbal domain and are a concomitant of language impairment, rather than a cause of reading comprehension failure.
KW - Development
KW - Language difficulties
KW - Reading comprehension
KW - Reading difficulties
KW - Short-term memory
KW - Working memory
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0033142883&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1006/jecp.1999.2498
DO - 10.1006/jecp.1999.2498
M3 - Article
C2 - 10328862
AN - SCOPUS:0033142883
SN - 0022-0965
VL - 73
SP - 139
EP - 158
JO - Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
JF - Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
IS - 2
ER -